The iron is one of the most widely owned and used household appliances. Since its introduction, the typical household iron has solved the problem of wrinkled attire for many a person. With advances such as steam production and thermostats, the iron has become more versatile as well as easier to use. However, there still exists those users and those particular jobs for which even the most technologically advanced irons are not proper.
One major drawback to the conventional household iron is that it requires a hard flat surface to support the garment or other fabric article to be pressed. Normally, an ironing board is the clear choice for such a surface. However, ironing boards take up significant space and may not be appropriate for all types of jobs. Often, when ironing boards are not available, flat surfaces such as those on tables or counter tops are utilized. However, pressing an article on a surface not particularly suited for use with a heated iron brings with it the possibility that the surface or the fabric article can be damaged.
Another drawback to the conventional household iron lies within the realm of hanging fabric articles. All too frequently, drapes in a house become wrinkled and detract from the aesthetic beauty of the decorum. With the pressing of articles such as these, the battle lies both in removing them from their vertical mounting and in manipulating their sheer size. Similarly, providing creases in the desired locations can be an overwhelming task.
Attempts have been made to improve upon the conventional household iron. For example, the prior art shows a hand tool for pressing garments. This device is essentially a handheld iron with a pivotably attached surface portion which can be pivoted into contact with a heated sole plate through actuation of a handle. In use, a piece of fabric is placed between the surface portion and the sole plate. The surface portion is then pivoted to capture the fabric between the surface portion and the sole plate. While the device taught in the prior art is useful, it has several drawbacks. For example, the pivotable nature of the connection between the surface portion and the sole plate greatly limits the displacement between the two elements at the rear or connection point and axiomatically limits the amount of fabric that can be inserted between them. The pivotable connection also prevents uniform pressing from occurring over a distance of fabric. Furthermore, prior art devices of this type do not teach combining a steam generating apparatus with the iron.
Therefore, there exists a need for a small, handheld iron which allows for the uniform pressing of fabric articles without an ironing board. A device of this type is useful in many circumstances including traveling or the pressing of hanging fabric articles.